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My research takes an integrative approach to animal
behavior. I am especially interested in the role of
multimodal signal assessment in sexual selection.
Females of many species evaluate potential mates using
information transmitted across multiple sensory
modalities (e.g. vocalizations plus visual courtship
displays). How females evaluate these multiple pieces
of information, however, remains poorly understood.
Further, the factors driving the evolution of multimodal
communication are also not well understood. My research
incorporates studies of behavior and neurobiology to
understand how females process multimodal signals and
how this processing is translated into mate choice.
One approach my colleagues and I have adopted is the use
of robotic frogs (faux frogs) to present female túngara
frogs with both auditory and visual courtship displays.
By varying the temporal coupling of the two signal
components, we are gaining a better understanding of how
females integrate these signal components during
their mate choice decisions.
For the past several years my research has focused on
frogs. I am currently spending a portion of my summers
working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
in Panama where I study the túngara frog. In addition,
my students and I are currently conducting behavioral
and sensory biology experiments with
North
American Hylids.
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